| U.F.O.F. | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Big Thief |
| Cover: | U.F.O.F. cover.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Recorded: | June 2018 |
| Studio: | Bear Creek, Woodinville, WA |
| Length: | 43:15 |
| Label: | 4AD |
| Producer: | Andrew Sarlo |
| Prev Title: | Capacity |
| Prev Year: | 2017 |
| Next Title: | Two Hands |
| Next Year: | 2019 |
U.F.O.F. is the third studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through 4AD on May 3, 2019.[1]
The album was recorded in June 2018 at Bear Creek Studio, a secluded studio with lush nature surroundings in Woodinville, Washington.[2] The songs "From" and "Terminal Paradise" previously appeared in a different form on Adrianne Lenker's 2018 solo album Abysskiss.[3] The title initials stand for "UFO friend", according to lyrics in the title track. The album received acclaim from music critics and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[4]
Five months after the album's release, Big Thief released their fourth studio album, Two Hands. Described as the "earth twin" to U.F.O.F., it was recorded at Sonic Ranch in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas days after the band completed recording for U.F.O.F. in Washington.[5] [6]
The album was recorded at Bear Creek Studio, in Woodinville, Washington. Many of the songs started to take shape on tour, but the band continued to experiment, resulting in some of the songs being written only hours before recording them.[7] They recorded in a large room, with the band recording their tracks live.
The album was described by Pitchfork as having "lush" instrumentals to accompany Adrienne Lenker's "lonely and elliptical" lyrics.[8]
U.F.O.F. received critical acclaim upon release. On Metacritic, which uses a normalized rating from music critics, the album holds a score of 87 out of 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
The album was named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork, with a score of 9.2/10 and the website calling the album the band's "undoubtedly best" and "a mesmerizing flood of life filtered down into a concentrated drip." In 2020, AllMusic named U.F.O.F. as one of the best albums of the 2010s.[9]
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[10]